Color coded terminal plate



March 27, 1951 FOSTER ETAL 2,546,854

COLOR CODED TERMINAL PLATE Filed Sept. 6, 1946 .FIG. .Z. 1 18.5.

QED

BRO IN ORANGE 1N VEN TOR. 4 a I4FNOT 1? 2 087-51? (744453 L, Gu/vrRwm/x BY QZQQ QZ Q RTTOR N EYS- Patented Mar. 27, 1951 COLOR C ODED TERMINAL PLATE Arnot P. Foster and James L. countryman, Cineinnati, Ohio, assignors to The Vitroseal Corp., Covington, Ky., a corporation of Ohio Application September 6, 1946, Serial No. 695,322

Our invention relates to terminal plates or panels for the electric circuits of electrical systems such for example, as may be embodied in output transformers and radio power transformers. I In such electrical systems it is our object to provide permanently colored vitreous insulative mountings for the terminal connections, the colors being in accordance with a predetermined code. In connecting up the necessary terminals, the color of the mounting will provide a positive guide for such connections.

W'hile, with both sides of the plates or panels exposed, the connecting of the wires in accord ance with a diagram to the terminals, is not difiicult, when one set of terminals is in a plate or panel permanently secured or hermetically sealed in some electrical instrument, an accordingly inaccessible, the proper connections to the exposed terminals is not so simple and our permanent color designations arranged in accordance with a code bocomes or" greater importance Thus it is our object to simplify and standardize the connecting up of wiring systems to a connector panel.

The foregoing objects and other specific objects to be explained in greater detail, we accomplish by that combination and arrangement of parts of which in the drawings we have illustrated preferred embodiments.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view or" a terminal plate having two terminals.

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the lines 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a terminal plate used with an output transformer.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of a terminal plate used with a radio power transformer.

Referring first to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2, the terminal plate is generally indicated at having apertures 2 and 3 therein, and with vitreous sealing buttons or brads 4, enclosing the terminals 5.

The processing involved in the making of the terminal plate may be briefly described as follows: The plate is first stamped out. It is then degreased, pickled and neutralized. The pickling may be with a 33 /3 strength (by volume) muriatic acid solution. For neutralizing a solution of 1 gallon of water, 1 ounce of sodium cyanide and 2 ounces soda ash (58% NazO) is used. The plate is then dried.

The coil of annealed terminal wire is straight- 1 Claim. (01. 174153) shed and cut to length. The wires are then pickled and neutralized and dried the same as the plate.

The various mixtures of vitreous materials composed of frit, porcelain mixtures and colors are then moulded into button like formations surrounding the terminal wires by compression with a die which forms the vitreous mixture into a self-supporting bead or button on the terminal wire.

' A wood panel having cup shaped openings with apertures large enough to receive the terminal wire posts at their center may conveniently be employed to hold a series of terminal wires with beads compressed thereon prior to firing.

For making the colored vitreous buttons or beads a frit which vitrifies at about 1500" F. and has a neutral color, may be used. For making red colored terminal supporting buttons, iron oxide F6203 may be mixed with the frit. For yellow titanium oxide TiOz may be mixed with the irit. For orange color antimony oxide 813203 and manganese dioxide l\ II1O2 may be mixed with the frit. For brown colors nickel oxide Hi0 may be used. For a green color Chrome green oxide CI'2O3 may be employed and for blue color, cobalt oxide C00 may be employed. For black manganese dioxide MnOz may be used.

Our invention does not involve any particular materials for making the vitreous mixtures or the quantitative determinations necessary for securing the proper color in the vitreous seals for the terminals. All this is within the knowledge of any skilled ceramist. We have in the foregoing description merely made suggestions for achieving different colors. The batches willbe made up and usually a series of one color terminal supports will be prepared at the same time,

The series of terminals with the unfired beads or buttons usually of the same color mixture after being compressed and dried are transferred to silocel jigs which hold the ends of the termie nals. First these terminals carrying the vitreous mixtures are dried at 500 F. for about three minutes and then fired at about 1500 F. (cone .015). The beads on the terminal wires are then inspected for flow lines, and to make sure that the terminals are securely sealed therein.

The terminals having beads of proper color fused thereon are then placed in another silecel jig, the pointed ends of the buttons (the tops) being inverted to fit snugly within the apertures 2 in the plates I. The panel shown in Figures 1 and 2 only has two terminals but in the other figures a larger number of terminals are shown The terminals prior to mounting in the plates are stored in receptacles so that the plate shown in Figure 3 for example, has one red beaded terminal, one blue, one brown, and two black. In Figure 4 there is shown a selection of two red, two green, two yellow, one orange, one brown and one black.

After the proper terminals are arranged in each plate the plate is fired at 1500 F. for about three minutes. This permanently secures the different colored beads in position.

After firing the leads are cut for Size or length. They may be pickled again and the oxide cleaned ofi. The ends of the terminal wires are then looped to provide simple connections for the wires. They may then be electro tinned follow ing which they are fiown on a fiux of solder, rosin and vegetable oil or fat at a temperature of about 525 F.

The plates or panels are then inspected for appearance, electrical leakage'or resistance and voltage. They are then packed for shipment to electrical device manufacturers.

Our invention is not in any particularly novel circuit but in so constructing the terminal plate with the terminals therein that the color of the bead or button supporting the terminal will be colored in accordance with a predetermined code. Instructions in a factory may be given to assemblers in accordance only with color designations which are immediately discernible without the necessity of observing signs, numbers or abbreviated words.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A color coded terminal plate comprising in combination with a metallic plate having openings for terminal connector wires, a series of different colored vitreous sealing buttons within said openings, the colors of said buttons having been molded thereinto and homogeneously incorporated therein during the formation of said buttons, a connector wire vitreously sealed within each button .and each button vitreously sealed within an opening in the plate, the colors of said buttons conforming to a predetermined color code.

ARNOT P, FOSTER. JAMES L. COUNTRYMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date The Radio Amateurs Handbook, page 463, 1945 (22nd) edition, published by the American Radio Relay League, Inc, West Hartford, Conn. (A copy is in Div. 65 of the Patent Oifice.) 

